The present invention relates to ventilating devices for a roof opening of a motor vehicle, such as vehicle sunroofs. In particular, the present invention relates to the types of such ventilating devices having a cover mounted for longitudinal displacement for opening or closing the roof opening and also for pivoting to vent the interior, which are also provided with a panel that underlies the roof opening and is finished as a liner for matching with the vehicle interior.
Covers of the above-noted type are known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,156 and German Offenlegungsschrifts Nos. 31 05 717 and 2 254 962. In the case of the first two mentioned prior art devices, the liner panel is provided with a vent aperture and a flap is hinged to the liner panel for opening and closing the vent aperture when the roof cover is in its positions opening and closing the roof opening. However, these arrangements require a cam groove and link interconnection in between the closure flap and the roof cover for carrying out of the opening movement of the closure flap, when the cover is tilted upwardly, and require an arrangement for securing the flap in its closed position. Such constructions not only complicate and increase the cost of the ventilating device but also preclude the liner panel from being manually opened, a feature that is particularly desirable when the cover is transparent or translucent and the liner panel serves as a sunshade, in order to increase the amount of visibility through the cover, both in its upwardly tilted and closed positions.
The arrangement of Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,254,962, while simpler than those of the precedingly described devices, in that the liner panel is merely linked to the underside of the cover and has no flap arrangements whose movements must be controlled, the device of this prior publication is also incapable of variable manual displacement of the liner panel relative to the cover for the roof opening.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a ventilation device for an opening formed in the roof of a vehicle of the type having an upwardly tiltable cover for the roof opening and a panel means, such as a sunshade/liner panel, wherein the panel means may be caused to partially open the aperture when the cover is in its tilted-up position in a simple and effective manner.
In keeping with the object of the preceding paragraph, it is a further object of the present invention to enable the noted partial opening of the aperture when the cover is in its tilted-up position to be achieved without necessitating any direct linkage between the panel means and the cover, or cam guide means; particularly, an arragement whereby the drive cables, themselves, are operatively associated with the panel means in a manner causing the aperture to be partially open when the cover is in its tilted-up position.
These objects are achieved, in accordance with a preferred embodiments of a device for a roof opening of a vehicle in accordance with the present invention, having a pair of guide rails provided at opposite sides of the roof opening, a cover mounted on the guide rails by slide members and slidingly movable forward or backward for opening or closing the roof opening, drive means for slidingly moving the slide members through the action of a pair of drive cables, a tilting assembly provided between the cover and the slide members and operable by the sliding movement of the slide members to shift the cover from a position closing the roof opening to a tilted-up position by tilting the cover up about its front portion, a frame provided under the roof, and an aperture formed in the frame under the roof opening that is openable or closable by panel means, the drive cables being operatively associated with the panel means to partially open the aperture when the cover is in its tilted-up position, such as by engagement of entrainment means positioned on the panel means by an end portion of the drive cables when the cover is displaced from the closing position to the tilted-up position.
In accordance with a first embodiment, the entrainment means are formed by foremost ones of auxiliary slide members upon which the panel means are slidably displaceable, while in modified embodiments the panel means are provided with a plurality of vents and closure means, by which the vents are openable and closable, that are coupled to the entrainment means. In one such modified arrangement, the entrainment means is a lever swingably mounted upon the panel that is coupled to closure means comprised of a plurality of closures that are pivotably connected to the panel means. In another form, the plurality of closures for the vent openings of the panel means are slidably displaceable and the entrainment means comprises a link having a front end operating portion that is positioned in opposition to free ends of the drive cables. In either case, return spring means are provided for biasing the lever or link to a position causing the closures to close the vent openings in the panel means.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.